Stones Behold
by Creon13
Summary: Vialin's world was ruined when a dying stranger burst through his door, being chased by a horrifying demon. Now bent on revenge, Vialin gets into something much bigger than he could imagine. Please review and critique.
1. The Stranger and The Flame

It was a great day in the mines. Not only was his underground swimming pool well underway, but he had also managed to find himself three precious diamonds. They sparkled in the torchlight as Vialin ascended the long stone stairwell that leads from his mines to his home. He would probably make a sword of sharpest blade as a reward. What he would do with the other will depend on if he finds any more any time soon.

Vialin considered himself quite successful in this world. He had an amazing mine, mob free. He had himself a beautiful wooden home that he took care to not set on fire. He even had himself his own roller coaster outside, complete with an underground adventure-y part. He had an amazing view of the the sunrise and sunsets as well, thanks to his house orientation and placement of it on a mountain. Best of all, it was so well lit with a glowstone perimeter that no mobs would even dare to spawn.

He finally made it back to his lovely abode. After dumping all the extraneous material, all the cobblestone and gravel, he decided it would be best to sleep the rest of the night. Tomorrow he would start building a grand palace for himself, one that dwarfed the very landscape with its magnificences and grandeur.

Suddenly, a noise caught Vialin's attention. He turned around just in time to see somebody burst through his front door. He looked haggard and was bleeding badly. It was clear he was almost dead, but what was he doing in Vialin's house?

"Hey what are you-," Vialin said before he let out a surprised yelp as an arrow struck him in the chest. For a brief moment he saw something that filled him with absolute terror. Standing on the boarder of his home he saw another person, clad head to toe in red fiery armor, as if he was wearing pure hardened lava. The bow he held was poised for another shot and his eyes were the darkest pits of fury and despair Vialin had ever seen.

A shudder ran through Vialin as he as he took in all the terrifying detail. Menace seemed to emanate from this baleful attacker and Vialin had no intention of staying in his presence. After dodging another arrow, he slammed the door shut on the attacker. The intruder who came inside appeared to have passed out. Vialin would have to deal with him later.

Rushing upstairs to his weapons locker, he quickly grabbed a bow and a stack of arrows. A small sound could be heard downstairs that made him freeze in panic. Time seemed to freeze as the sound grew louder and louder. It was the one thing that Vialin feared over anything right now, the destroyer of homes, animals and entire biomes: fire.

His downstairs had become a hellish landscape covered in fire. The attacker wanted to kill him bad and he would use one of the most dangerous ways to do it. Flame leapt from plank to plank of his lovely home like a envious demon determined to remove any evidence of this place. Flaming arrows started to be fired through the holes in the walls by the demonic attacker, prompting Vialin to make a drastic move.

Scooping the passed out invader onto his back like the dead weight he had become, Vialin pulled a lever on the far wall. The redstone circuitry and pistons that he installed did their magic and pushed the bookshelves to the side to reveal a winding stairwell. Never did he think that he would be using this passage way to escape. However this spiral of rock would save him from the murderous rampage of fire.

Down, down, down the spiral he went, not stopping to for a moment for fear of pursuit by that horrid devil with the black eyes. The intruder was still out cold and Vialin was becoming increasingly annoyed at this stranger who brought disaster upon him. As he ran the hiss and crackle of the fire grew fainter as well as his hopes to save his home.

Finally at the bottom, he looked upon an imposing sight; a black frame taller than he was with a disturbing purple mist in the middle, a Nether portal. Eerie sounds could be heard coming from the portal, a strange mix of water running in a dark cave with the occasional sound of pure anguish. Looking on this thing always gave Vialin chills and the shutter running down his spine this time was no different.

After only a moments hesitation, Vialin closed his eyes and stepped through the portal. He felt his world shift and distort, spinning and shaking violently like it would fly off into a million different direction. Next came the scariest feeling: the falling. Plunged into absolute darkness Vialin felt himself fall into the infinite abyss of the tunnel between the Overworld and The Nether. The first time he walked through the obsidian gate he completely panicked, flailing his limbs fruitlessly in an attempt to stop the falling.

Vialin felt the falling sensation slow. As best he could tell, that's all it was, a sensation, a trick of the mind. However as the world slowly pieced itself back together familiar sounds and smells began assaulting his senses. The suffocating heat from all the lava falling from the sky, the sickening smell of netherrack constantly burning, and the screams of those wretched flying abomination that populate the bloody twilight skies like jealous old gods seeking to destroy all that is good. He hated coming to this tormented and twisted world, yet he was here because of this intruder on his back.

Before going further into the wretched landscape, Vialin made a decision that he hated to do, he would close the portal from this side. Setting the unconscious load on the ground rougher than he normally would, Vialin pulled out his trusty diamond pickaxe. With all his might, He began to chip away at the black frame. After several good hits, a chunk of obsidian popped off the frame and the odd mist within the portal was immediately dispelled with a quiet hiss. Now the crazy attacker would have to find another way to chase him.

As sweat rolled off his brow, Vialin lifted his burdensome guest over his shoulders once more. He had setup a small bunker here in The Nether to act as a base of operations for glowstone and netherrack mining. It was relatively close to the initial portal as he did not like to spend time extended amounts of time here. He would use the time to nurse the wound left by his charred home.


	2. Chapter 2

Vialin pushed open the door of his Nether-bunker. Fortunately, he had managed to avoid the ghasts and their dreaded explosive fire balls. He dumped his cargo onto the carpeted floor, the closes thing to a bed that could be safely used in The Nether. The air was stifling due to the heat and it didn't help his mood one bit. The intruder would need tending to if Vialin wanted to get any information from him. Using two diamonds he had with him as well as some wood that he kept in the small chest. Using his last porkchop on the stranger, Vialin set off to slaughter some zombie pigmen for their meat.

Pushing the door open once more, Vialin stumbled his way through the doorway. The hunting was harder than usual as the ghasts seemed aggravated to the point that they were launching fireballs indiscriminately But he got his macabre prize despite the fire and hell he went through.

The first thing he noticed was that his intruder was siting upright, conscious, and sporting a lovely pair of goggles. A moment passed between them as all the frustration and pain Vialin had been through struggled in vain against his exhaustion. Neither of them moved for a moment until the distant cry of a ghast broke the silence that held the two in gridlock. Vialin closed the door and sat heavily on top of the chest to rest.

"Before we get anywhere and before anybody makes any rash moves they would regret, I would like to know, from you, why in the name of all that is holy were you chased to my home and why that man with the pitch black eyes decided to burn my beloved house to the ground," Vialin said very carefully as his ire rose from having to remember the recent events. He purposely kept his diamond sword out to drive home the point.

The stranger sat with a grim look on his face. He looked embarrassed and offended at the same time. It was clear he was working up the right words to say in this situation. Vialin could wait. All he really wanted to do was to sleep, but there was no way that was going to happen in this forsaken place.

"I am truly sorry for what has befallen you," the stranger said slowly. "I did not mean for such tragedy to chance upon anybody else. I am- was hunted by a madman and assassin. He has hunted me mercilessly for so long. He has no discrimination in the harm he causes. All innocents are simply obstacles in his path," the stranger said in a flat voice.

"Why are you being hunted, though," Vialin asked through narrowed eyes.

"As I said, he is a mad man. What little information I gathered on him seems to connect him to a fanatical order intent on destruction. Why they wish destruction, I do not know," the stranger replied. A quiet moment passed between the two once again. Vialin' mind sharpened as a second wind from his exhaustion. Something didn't seem to add up.

"So this cult has chased you across Minecraftia, destroying everything in their path for the sole purpose of killing you. And you expect me to believe that you were simply chosen at random to be the target of their wrath," Vialin said with a vexed tone to his voice. He saw little reason to be subtle or gentle in this situation.

"I am not a random target, but the innocents are. I am an expert in the old legends, the same ones they hold so close to their hearts that they rip them out through heinous acts," The stranger said with a stern look.

"And how do I know you are not lying to my face? You could just as easily be a murderer and hiding behind me, waiting for the best moment to ram a knife through my back," Vialin said through hard eyes.

The tension in the room was so thick it smothered the hellscape around them. The two were locked in a mental knife fight, a blade to the stranger's throat in more than one way.

"You accuse me of being a murderer and yet you were the one who saved me. You could have left me to die at the hands of that devil yet you didn't. When you looked into those eyes did you see sympathy, or justice, or even pure revenge? No, you saw evil as black as deepest hole and darkest night.

"You say you lost your house to the fire of that creature. Why would he attack you? He could have easily walked in and gutted me with a sword, leaving you with nothing more than blood soaked boards. Yet your creation is destroyed and we are here in this twilight realm. If I was chased by a demon for murder, why were you also a target," the stranger said with venom in his mouth. A nerve was clearly struck and Vialin could only smile.

He had a point. The attacker could have finished the job with a quick stab of a sword. Instead Vialin got a fresh arrow scar and his prized possession destroyed. A shudder ran through Vialin once again as the eyes of the attacker appeared in his mind again; dead, unfeeling, inhuman, predatory. Eyes like that could inspire terror in the strongest of men. It was truly the stuff of nightmares.

"Very well," Vialin finally said looking at the goggled stranger, "but before this goes any further, the very least I need to know is your name."

"I am called Santiago. I was a simple traveler until I became the prey of this twisted cabal," the stranger replied, shifting his position on the rug to a more relaxed position. Vialin made the same show of good faith and put his sword away on his belt. The knives sheathed, at least for a moment.

"Well Santiago, I am Vialin. We are currently in an underground bunker in the Nether after I carried your unconscious body through a portal and destroyed it from this side. The real question that should be asked is 'What next'," Vialin said getting off the chest and eating a porkchop to help ease his wounds.

"What do you mean what next," Santiago replied with a confused look. "I have to keep running from them or else they will finally strike me down. I want to survive."

"That is nonsense and you know it," Vialin said darkly, much to Santiago's surprise. "Nobody runs for no reason. If they found you every single time you hid, what hope do you have of staying away from them forever? You also say you don't want any innocents harmed and yet you hide among them, using them like a shield. I have a motto I have lived by, 'If you do not create, you only destroy.' You cannot create if you don't stop."

"Then what do you expect me to do? They will hunt me till the end of time. You saw how powerful they are. They are everywhere! There is nothing that can be done to stop them! They are a force of nature too powerful to conquered alone!"

"Then don't fight alone," Vialin shouted, brandishing his sword with passion. "Build an army and fight back! Thin their ranks, demolish their bases, weaken their grip. You have just as many tools at your disposal as they do yet you refuse to pick them up. You killed all those innocents, not those fanatics! You sat cowered in the corner as their fire followed in your wake, scorching the earth and burning innocents! You really are a murderer, not in action, but inaction."

The world was silent as the words hung in the air like icicles. Even the ghasts had stopped there relentless barrage to listen to the fight. Vialin knew he was right because he was a coward of inaction a long time ago. The screams still haunt his dreams to this day, forcing solitude upon himself to keep the demons from driving him mad.

Santiago hung his head. Pain rose in his chest as the words cut deep into his soul. Vialin sheathed his sword once more. He felt even more drained than when this whole ordeal started. As taxed as he felt now, his heart was now filled with the heat of revenge. His buildings and creations were his family, and now one of them have been murdered in cold blood. His blood boiled at the thought of those black eyes destroying anything in its path.

"What are you going to do," Santiago said quietly. Vialin turned to this stranger who had brought misfortune upon him and his family.

"Go on the hunt. If you chose to run, leave now. I would rather die with a broken sword in my hand than a broken spirit in my chest."

"Please, let me help you," Santiago said desperately, struggling to rise to his feet quickly. "It has been such a long time since I have seen passion like yours! You have kindled my spirits, yet I still cower under their gaze. Please let me join you in your quest to rid the world of this evil! I have seen enough blood spilled to stain the ocean red! I wish the madness to end," Santiago pleaded, seizing Vialin by his shirt. Vialin smiled after a pause that seemed to last forever. Salvation and redemption always made him smile.

"Very, Santiago. We shall rid the world of this demon or be forever removed from its embrace. But we must be smart about this. If they truly are as powerful as you say they are, It will take more than blades and arrows to win." Why are they so powerful? Is it arms? Numbers? Ruthlessness? What is their main advantage," Vialin asked as his mind raced for a plan. However for a plan to work he would need information. And Santiago was the only source around.

Santiago stood motionless as he tried to think about the threat they now faced. Vialin decided to busy himself with making proper equipment. Fortunately there was a few spare bit s of gear laying around; a few simple tools, a crafting table, and a decent supply of iron ingots he had forgotten about. The atmosphere of the Nether made it hard to concentrate on the task at hand but he had no other choice but to grit his teeth.

"They are immortal," Santiago said suddenly. Vialin turned to him with an puzzled expression. Immortal? Not such thing exists in this world except the bedrock that holds the world up.

"What do you mean immortal? They have a large supply of food? They have stocks of diamond armor? What makes them immortal," Vialin said trying to make sense of the statement.

Santiago looked embarrassed at the clarification but continued "None of those things. They are immortal. Weapons do not kill them, their bodies never stop, they continue to march forever." Vialin was silent, a look of incredulity across his brow. Santiago was making not sense. Maybe it would be best to try an gather information on his own.

"Would you believe me if I told you this world was not random, that every block and creature was placed long ago? Would you believe me if I told you that there are forces stronger than anybody could comprehend? This cult follows the teaching of a very old religion, one I am an expert on," Santiago continued. "They have found a way to tap into the power of the old gods. They do not rest. They do not stop. They do not tire. They do not die.

"I fought back once. Managed to disarm completely and pin him to a tree. Ran my sword through him up to the hilt and into the tree, but he kept moving. I pumped him full of arrows till my bow string snapped and he was a moving pile of feathers and bloody sticks. I even buried him in a tomb of sand hoping to suffocate him. I could still hear the muffed grunts of exertion as he tried to murder me despite being more weapon than person. When I saw that they cannot be killed, I panicked and have been running ever since."

Vialin tried to wrap his mind around the concept. Old gods? Indestructible soldiers? His enemy was more than mortal in all respects. Despair doused the fire in his heart as the futility of his fight began to dawn on him. He was against an army with supernatural power at their disposal. He was in a bunker in the Nether with nothing but a handful of iron. The situation was bleak indeed.

"Where exactly are they getting their power? What legends did they use to discover such vast power. And does it have anything to do with you being hunted," Vialin asked. Things were getting out of hand very quickly.

Santiago sighed deeply. "If you sit down I will tell you all I know. The legend that they base their power off of is called The Legend of the Two Brothers."


	3. Chapter 3

"Long ago, there existed two brothers, Notch and Herobrine. Together they created the Overworld. Notch fabricated all thing static. All dirt, stone, and ore were his children and filled he the world with them. Herobrine created all things active. The trees, grass, cows, and sheep all flourished under their creator's watchful eye. Both were insatiable in there capacity to craft.

"Soon, The older brother Notch grew jealous of his younger brothers creations. They would move, live, love and grow while his children were silent in there praises to their father. He grew bitter and resentful towards his brother. He first created water to drown all that move and spread it across the world, creating the oceans.

"However, His brother simply told the animals to swim out of the water as not to die. He also created the squid to live exclusively in water and thanked his brother for giving him such a wonderful new area to cultivate and grow his children. Notch become furious at this and took it as an insult to his ability.

"He continued to make increasingly dangerous materials to take revenge on his brother's blissful creations. He tried to be subtle, creating large desert landscapes where nothing could survive However, Herobrine adapted and created creatures that did not need water or grass to spawn like zombies and skeletons.

"Insulted for the last time, Notch created the single most devastating material he could think of, something that could destroy anything that touched with no chance of survival; he created lava. In an attempt to rid the Overworld of his brother's creations, Notch covered all the land and sea in a blanket of lava, guaranteeing death for all his brother creatures, yet guaranteeing his children's safety.

"Finally convinced of his brother's cruelty and jealousy, Herobrine created a world all his own. However, because he was unskilled at creating static blocks, the world he created nightmarish and twilight compared to his brother's work. Lava fell from the sky freely and all the land either burned eternally or slowed whatever stepped on its surface. Despite all the flaw, Herobrine grew to love this dusky world, even though it drained his powers substantially.

"While this new world was being created, all the creatures he had created previously suffered under the lava tidal wave. Squid suffocated under newly formed stone. Sheep and cows burned to death while crying out for their father. The zombies and skeletons took refuge under the earth, not needing the loving embrace of the sun to survive, though they grew bitter and hated their father who forsook them.

"Once Herobrine returned to the Overworld after the Nether was created, he found almost all his children had been murdered save for a lonely pig, perched on the highest mountain in all the land. Rescuing what he thought was his only son, Herobrine took the pig to the Nether. Due to the world not being stable, the pig mutated and distorted into a twisted form, its skin fell off in chunks and it brandished a golden sword.

"With his brother gone, Notch's power grew. However, he was not content seeing his brother isolating himself off from the Overworld. Notch despised what little joy his brother had with his only son. He was determined to rid the world of his brother completely. Notch could not chase his brother into the Nether because Herobrine created a new material that glowed brighter than any torch. Its power kept Notch from setting foot in The Nether.

"Not to be deterred, Notch took a page from his brother's book and created a new creature. It was a horrid abomination that would shoot exploding fire from its mouth. Notch was unskilled in creating creatures, however, and had to sacrifice the very whites of his eyes to make the creature's skin.

"Seeing the ghast destroy his world, Herobrine lost all hope to redeem his brother. He closed all entryways to his home, save for an obsidian portal. By now, Herobrine's powers had drained away from him. He used his remaining power as well as the hatred and despair in his soul to create one more creature: a creature so terrible and wretched, it was the physical manifestation of all Herobrine's sorrow. Its face was forever twisted into a suffered sneer and it would end its own life by destroying the world around it. The darkness inside of it is the black of Herobrine's eyes, forever given up so that he would not have to look upon such a wretched beast and its destruction.

"Time passed and Notch was far more powerful. He grew more skilled at creating active life by copying his brother's original designs. He grew lonely for his brother's company but could never overcome his jealousy. He created the smartest creature, one that could move blocks, harvest resources, and transform the very world it lived in. He created it in his brother's image.

"I believe that the cult has drawn their power from this legend I am not sure how exactly that harnessed the gods' ancient power but I think it is channeled. If we can stop the source, we might have a chance to finish them off," Santiago finished.


	4. Chapter 4

Vialin cupped his head in his hands. Stopping the power of the gods. Not something he thought he would have to do in his lifetime. There were so many issues and problems with a plan like that he was not sure were to begin. But it was the only plan that sounded like it would have any merit.

"Do you know where the source is coming from and do you know how to stop it," Vialin finally said after his head stopped throbbing. Without even answering, Santiago pulled out a tiny cube, no bigger than a piece of flint. It had an unearthly shine to it, like it was made of the clearest fallen snow. A chill ran up Vialin spine once more.

"This is probably why they have been chasing me so diligently. I am unsure of what exactly it is but some of the legends state that 'a cube of purest brilliance was designed to absorb the brother's power'. I think it is this little cube the demons fear," Santiago said holding the cube up to the torchlight like it was a precious gem.

"That still does not answer the question of how do we find the source. It does not matter if we can stop it if we cannot get to the source we want to stop," Vialin said.

"We can find its source since we are here in the Nether," Santiago said, much to Vialin confusion. "I have spent a long time in this twilight realm hiding I have constructed a large mental map of the Nether, or at least the area that can actually be reached. I can guide us through this world. Though I am not sure if we can get back to the Overworld."

"We could just reconstruct the obsidian portal that we walked through to get here. I only disabled it removing one block. But we can create a way back by building a portal in the Nether," Vialin said remembering the time a ghast had managed to destroy a chunk of one of his first portals. He was fortunate enough to be disorganized and have a bucket of water in his inventory.

"Yes! We simply teleport straight to them! I never though that the solution could be so simple," Santiago said with excitement in his voice. He clearly was not very good at planning but at least he has gained strength and courage since the first time he woke up. They would need all the strength they could muster.

"So it is settled. The first thing we need to do is gather the portal up. What other items do you have in your inventory," Vialin asked. He always needed to know just how much material they had at their disposal.

"A golden sword, an iron pick, some dirt, and the cube," Santiago replied solemnly, a bit embarrassed at how unprepared he appeared to be.

"Fine, take these three porkchops and my bow just in case. When we get to the portal you will have to knock the ghast's fireballs away while I mine the portal. Try and kill them if you can," Vialin replied, throwing three porkchops at Santiago and turning back to his crafting table. An iron chest plate was the only protection he could craft. With the ghasts in such a frenzied state, the trip there and back would be exhausting.

"Let's go, and pray to the gods that we succeed," Vialin said turning to Santiago, iron chest plate equipped. When they opened the door a rush of hot burning air flooded into the room, engulfing them in staggering heat. Vialin stumbled as he tried to grow accustomed to the foul atmosphere, but Santiago seemed to be invigorated by it. A by product of being forced to hide in The Nether for so long, Vialin figured.

As the two wondered back to their original portal by using a guiding system of torches, the twilight world loomed over them like a brimstone giant. Vialin always felt small and weak in this world. Perhaps it was the lack of day and night that disagreed with him. Perhaps it was the ghasts with their ungodly screams. Maybe it was the nation of zombie pigman that would rally together at the first sign of distress. It could be the lack of trees and colors that put a weight in his chest. Whatever it was this world felt twisted and dark.

"What do you think of The Nether," Santiago suddenly asked. Vialin felt very worried about the psychic powers of his new companion. "I personally find it quite beautiful in its own way."

"Do you now," Vialin said with as little incredulousness as he could hide.

"It reminds me of dawn and dusk in the Overworld. The red skies herald the end and beginning of a new day. Hope is never extinguished because the next day will still come. The rocks are a lovely shade of crimson that you can only find in the most polished of gems. Even though the world is incomplete and not fit to thrive in, it could be a place of simple pleasures. While that might not be good for the adventurous and the restless, it would be a good place for the tired."

Vialin had never thought about that before. It could be a simple life here. It would never get cold. There would be plenty of food. There would be no creepers or zombies or skeletons to pester you. "What about the problem of ghasts," Vialin responded.

"Ah yes. They would be an issue, wouldn't they? But once you are an adventurer, you never really stop, do you? Even a simple life needs some excitement to break up the day," Santiago said with a knowing look. Once again, Vialin had never thought of it that way.

Their arrival at the portal was meet with heavy hearts. The path to it was nearly obliterated due to the ghasts' random barrage The portal was still standing, but whoever tried to break it down would probably be stranded on a floating island of eternally burning rock that would be destroyed by those abominations. To make matters worse, a flock of ghasts could be seen in the sky, like clouds that rained destruction onto the world.

"Great, why the hell are there a ton of ghasts there," Vialin said with a exasperated sigh. He was suddenly feeling very tired.

"I can go and mine the portal," Santiago said hesitantly. The trepidation in his voice was painfully obvious but understandable.

"No, it is my creation, I should mine it. I need you to defend me with the bow and knock back the blasts if you can. If we stick together, we might be able to survive with minimal charred skin," Vialin said with an uneasy smile.

"Do you think we will survive," Santiago said as he pulled out his bow. Vialin was not sure if he could lie well enough to not dispirit Santiago.

With a deep breath Vialin charged forward with a primal yell, blood coursing through his system. Immediately a hailstorm of fireballs rained down from the sky, creating mini craters all around and setting the netherrack ablaze. With a frenzied determination, Vialin struck the black rock with his diamond pick, forcing it to give under his relentless blows.

The sounds of arrows flying through the air as well as the ungodly screams of dying ghasts filled the heated air. Despite the grunts of exertion from Santiago, fireballs continued to fall from the sky, threatening to cook them alive.

Blinded by passion and willpower, Vialin focused only on the his prize; the rest mattered not. No fire would stop him, no mob would deter him. He was hellbent on collecting the black rock from the hellish landscape. The only thing he felt was the pick in his hand, the obsidian he picked up and a gentle push from the explosions. The world around him had vanished under his goal.

As the final rock gave way to his furious swings, he turned to escape with the rock in hand. However, the empty space in front of him froze his heart with despair. Santiago was gone, vanish among the red rock as well as the bridge that connected the portal to the mainland. The ghasts had reduced the island to the few blocks he stood on. He was stranded and deserted, betrayed by one who sought help. Never did he think it would end this way. The ghasts let loose a blood-curdling scream one last time and the explosion knocked Vialin off what little bit of netherrack was left.

His spirit was broken from the betrayal. Murderer by inaction Santiago was. But now he knew how they felt when he left them to the spiders. The miners called out Vialin name, but he was paralyzed with fear. He heard that awful hiss of those creatures ripping his friends to shreds, but he refused to help. And now to atone for the sins of the past, we would baptized in the boiling lava of the Nether. He could feel the heat of the magma caress his skin, like the hands of ones lost finally welcoming him.


	5. Chapter 5

Vialin's world was jarred when he fell on something hard. Dazed from the shock of the impact with ears muffled, the only thought that could cross his mind was that lava was much harder than he thought. It felt familiar, like dirt. Slowly the world stopped spinning and he felt something tug his arm. Following the phantom force, Vialin stumbled forward on hands and knees, being pulled by something. Suddenly he was plunged into absolute darkness.

A porkchop was shoved into his face and suddenly the world came into focus. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and the first thing he saw was a familiar goggled face.

"Santiago? What happened," Vialin asked as the world was clearing from the haze of confusion.

"I just saved you from burning to crisp. We got separated by the ghasts but you seemed to ignore my calls to you. So I built a platform under the portal to catch you," Santiago said with breathless voice as he threw down a broken iron pick.

"Is that what happened? I got lost in the moment. I didn't realize. I thought that you... well, never mind. You completely saved me from certain doom," Vialin said after a moment of hesitation. No need to weaken their partnership with pointless pain.

They sat in relative silence trying to catch their breath. Their two-by-two tomb was quite cozy compared with what they had just been through. The ghasts still had not caught on to what had happened to them. However, Vialin did not want to give them the upper hand.

Standing up, despite being unsteady on his feet, he began to mine in the exact opposite direction of the ghasts swarm. He had lost his precious pick in the final explosion, but netherrack was soft enough to punch through anyway. After only a few removed blocks however, a gigantic tunnel system opened up. It was beautifully lit with glowstone corners and stretched farther than his eyes could see. It seemed to stretch on till the end of the world.

"Amazing! I did not know that my tunnel system ran so close to your portal," Santiago said to a flabbergasted Vialin after looking over his shoulder. Santiago squeezed past and built neat stairs down to the ground level of the tunnel.

"Hold on. You are telling me that your mental map was actually a system of tunnels? Why didn't we just dig up to reach the portal," Vialin shouted, his face red from anger and exertion. His hands were starting to shake and he grit his teeth to keep in control.

"Because I did not know my tunnels were under your portal. These tunnels stretch for miles without ever going up to the surface because there is no reason to go up to the surface. It is all exactly the same throughout The Nether; burning rock and lava. There are no defining landscape features, no diverse wildlife, simply no reason to go up rather than the occasional need for porkchops," Santiago replied sharply. He sounded more angry than hurt at the accusation.

Vialin yelled at the top of his lungs. He yelled until his chest hurt and his head was light. Finally drained, Vialin collapsed. He knew Santiago was right. There was no reason to rise. He had just assumed that Santiago was making it harder than it actually had to be.

"Feeling better," Santiago said from below. The only respond that Vialin could give at that moment was a light kick of his foot. He had mistrusted and suspected Santiago of the most ridiculous things since this situation began. Maybe people weren't out get revenge on him all the time.

Rising once again, Vialin looked at Santiago. "Do you actually know where we have to go?"

"I believe it is this way. We should arrive at a major hub and we can find our way from there," Santiago said gesturing to a cloudy end of the tunnel. It did not look inviting in any way. However, Vialin had to trust Santiago. He allowed himself to be at the mercy of this man he suspected just moments ago.

"Lets go then," Vialin said, clutching his sword tightly.

After what seemed like hours of walking down a tunnel that had no defining marks on its surface, Vialin could feel himself start going crazy. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the recent events, maybe it was the exhaustion, but he began to feel like he was not going anywhere. The monotony of the tunnel had reduced him to a walking shell of his former self. He seemed frozen in place and the very world moved under his feet. The only thing that kept him from snapping was wondering how long you have to spend in The Nether to make such a massive tunnel system.

Suddenly the tunnel opened up into a cavernous room. The elegant spiral netherrack columns supported a sprawling ceiling. A brilliant glowstone chandelier lit the room up like a sun. Lava flowed down the walls into troths that kept it from flooding the room. The stark beauty of the place was a sudden shock for Vialin. He prided himself as a builder but never could he conceive of such a grand design on a scale like this. A swarm of ghasts could fit in here comfortably. He felt insignificant with so much space that was clearly dug out by hand.

"Welcome to one of the smaller hubs in the system. I think I have some spare supplies lying around," Santiago said matter-of-factly. The casualness of the comment was alarming to Vialin. How long has Santiago been hiding for such a leviathan-esque amount of effort, time, and skill to be reduced to a passing comment. Vialin's attention was finally caught by Santiago staring at him with a worried expression.

"How much time did it take you craft this room," Vialin finally asked when he found his voice.

"I am not sure. However long it took, I had plenty more time to spare. This is one of the smaller rooms that I made. Time was the only thing I had in spades. I figured it might as well be put to some use," Santiago said looking around the room unimpressed. A brief look of disgust crossed his face before sighing and walking further into the room.

In the center of the room was a small shack made of netherrack, big enough for only one person. It looked cozy, despite being dwarfed by the room. What was odd about it, however, was that the outside was covered in signs that made no sense. The words were jumbled and spaced oddly, like the writings of a mad man. Vialin could not make out what information they were supposed to convey.

"Darn, it looks like the only thing that is in here is a flint and steel," Santiago said appearing from the shack. He stopped at confused look that Vialin was giving him. "What? You can't expect me to have everything in here," Santiago said.

"What are all these signs for? It looks like your house was vandalized by... something," Vialin said as he gestured towards the shack.

"They are the hub map, basically," Santiago said. "They are the map of the tunnels and all the hubs, intentionally written in a way to confuse any... unwanted guests."

Vialin frowned at Santiago. Such planning and design had to all be for a purpose, which made him really wonder about the enemy they now faced. He hoped that whatever that cube Santiago had was for, it would actually work.

After looking at all the signs on the shack, Santiago signaled the way they should go. Walking into another tunnel, Vialin could see the need for the maps. He could wander in these tunnels for days without ever knowing where anything was. The sheer length of the tunnels was daunting enough to make him never want to step foot in this world ever again.

Suddenly, Santiago broke into a dead sprint, cursing under his breath. The change of pace was refreshing for Vialin, but he soon saw just exactly what caused the change of speed; the tunnel had come to a very sudden end.

Peering over the side of the cliff, Vialin could not see anything: no land, no rock, no lava, nothing. It was like the world had simply ceased to exist beyond this point. Only the faint red haze of the Nether as well as a lone scream from a ghast was presented to them. From the expression on Santiago's face, it was clear that this was not his doing.

"That doesn't even seem possible, so close to a hub" Santiago said very quietly, almost like a prayer. The look of terror and surprise in his eyes made Vialin's heart speed up. He was suddenly acutely aware of The Nether's heat and pressure.

"What is this," Vialin finally said, tugging gently at his damaged iron armor.

"I am not sure, but if I had to describe it, it seems that they are... dissolving The Nether, somehow," Santiago said as a piece of netherrack fell into oblivion. This was a terrifying power for somebody to wield If this cult to do this to The Nether, what would happen to The Overworld, Vialin thought grimly. They could declare absolute rule and anybody who disobeyed would be dropped into nothingness.

"Now. We have to build the portal now. I'm not sure how much longer this tunnel can hold up, but we don't have much time," Santiago said as he took a step back. The block he had just stood on dropped like a piece of gravel. Vialin felt a pang of panic as the tunnel began dissolving at a faster pace. It felt like he was watching the beginning of an avalanche, and he was directly in its path.

Vialin quickly pulled out all the obsidian he had and constructed the portal frame. With a quick flick of the flint and steel, Santiago ignited the interior. The fire quickly covered the inside and formed a thick purple mist. Vialin could never shake off how unnatural the whole spectacle was.

They both stepped through the mists and waited with bated breath. The stomach churning sensation of the fall was just a little more real this time for Vialin. He had looked into the abyss and now he could finally connect this wicked sensation in his mind.


	6. Chapter 6

The world fell into place once again and Vialin stepped off into something crunchy. It was pitch black unfortunately, so he would have to wait for his eyes to adjust to the dark. It appeared they had been teleported into a tunnel. But no ordinary tunnel. The entire tunnel was covered with mossy cobblestone.

Vialin draw his sword reflexively. Mossy cobblestone meant there was a spawner. Spawners meant that there would be monsters. He never understood why spawners caused moss to grow. Maybe had something to do with their ability to create life and it spilled over onto the stone.

Santiago drew his sword as well. The air grew thick and stale with tension. Caverns were dangerous enough if you were properly prepared and had an escape route. They had neither of those luxuries.

"If we travel through this tunnel, we should be close to the source," Santiago said forlorn tone. At that moment, the Nether portal stopped working. There was no turning back now

"Why can't we dig our way out," Vialin said quickly, betraying his worry to Santiago.

"They probably already know we are here. If we try to dig without picks they will completely ambush us. We have to press forward," Santiago said, gaining either courage or desperation. Santiago reached into his inventory and pulled out the brilliant glowing cube he had. He presented it to Vialin.

"When we get to the source, I need you to place this block into it. With luck, that should block their channeled powers and render them vulnerable. We can then end this horrible nightmare," Santiago said with a stern look. Vialin took the cube with a silent nod. This is how he would redeem himself, he would save all of Minecraftia from absolute rule.

They stepped forward together into the darkness, swords thirsty for monsters. They spent their journey in the inky blackness of the cavern. They both kept their senses sharp and listened out for anything that would cause them harm. The mossy cobblestone gave an unsettling crunch with each step they took.

Deeper into the tunnel they descended. The darkness engulfed them like a trap and silently threatened to strangle them. There was absolutely no light or recognizable feature, an omen that Vialin did not like.

The tunnel narrowed to small passageway barely big enough for one person to fit through. They both peered through the doorway, but the darkness was too thick for Vialin's eyes. Santiago froze. The dead silence of the cave was enough to drive anybody mad. The only thing Vialin was really worried about was creepers. They thrive in silence and darkness, both of which they had plenty of. His heart was pounding in his ears as they sat murky blackness.

Vialin's eyes focused on the darkness and finally saw why they were still as statues. Small tongues of flame danced further into the cave, like imps in celebration of some dark deed. There were not just on or two, but dozens of spawners in the room, all working by some dark force to produce monsters. The spawner would flash with increasing frequency, which could only mean that monsters were present.

A soft and heartless moan moan emanated from the room which was soon joined by an unholy chorus of hissing and bones striking bones. The sounds made a chill run up Vialin's spin like an icicle. Some much evil in one place was such an unnatural thing in The Overworld.

"Do you trust me," Santiago asked suddenly but quietly. Vialin was surprised at the question considering the circumstances and the things they endured. Even in the darkness, he could see the serious look on Santiago's face.

"Yes, I do," Vialin said cautiously. He never thought that he would ever make that promise to somebody since he broke it so severely so long ago.

"Then close your eyes and do not move no matter what. No matter what you hear, do not move until I tell you to. Then I want you to run as fast as you can into that room. Do you understand?"

Vialin blinked. It was an odd and almost suicidal request. He had to have complete trust in Santiago to even consider it. However, Santiago did save his life and now they were close. Did he really trust this man who dropped in on his life with fiery despair?

Sighing deeply, Vialin closed his eyes and was again draped in complete darkness. All the sounds were intensified to an alarming degree. It sounded like the monsters were close enough reach. A small hiss almost made his skin crawl with fear. A creeper was very close! Its soft steps were growing louder and Vialin held his breath, hoping Santiago was right.

More soft steps kept coming from down the tunnel. A river of creepers was streaming from were they had just came from. Images of the devastation those foul creatures cause flashed into Vialin's mind. One creeper was enough to kill or maim him horribly, but now a stream of those demons was crossing right in front of him. The smell of gunpowder was beginning to overwhelm him and he felt himself growing dizzy.

Something brushed against his arm. It almost felt like dead leaves but Vialin knew what it really was. Just knowing that there were an army of them made him want to scream in panic. He felt like he was drowning in fear. Anxiety was filling his lungs and threatened to crush him from the inside. But he stood still and silent, waiting for Santiago's command and prayed he knew what he was doing.

All sound disappeared save for one: it sounded like the largest match strike in the world. Time froze and held its breath as it and Vialin both realized what had caused that sound. It was one of the most dreaded sounds he could ever hear in his life and it was amplified to a horrifying level. Never did he think he would hear a thousand creepers ignite at the same time to unite into a choir of devastation .

The next moment, the world tore itself apart as the largest explosion in Vialin's life erupted next to him. The sheer shock wave of the blast felt like a boulder crashed right into him. It sounded as if the very gods wanted to remove this area from all existence and accomplish it through the absolute most violent means. The stones and ore were reduced to nothing but the finest powder due to how massive the force of the blast was.

Ears still ringing from the blast, Vialin heard Santiago yelling. With wild abandon, Vialin threw himself into the room, sword in hand. He could see a faint light higher up, like an angel guiding him out of this pit of despair. Despite the blast, some of the spawners managed to survive! Scooping up some cobblestone that had been knocked lose, Vialin made a mad dash for the light, building his way up to the exit.

Lifting his body up through the hole, Vialin found himself in a gray and dismal room. The very stone of the chamber seemed to leak sorrow from every surface. The damp horrid smell tied his guts into knots. In the very center of the room was a small altar made of the darkest material he had ever seen. It looked like it was made out of the absolute abyss.

"Put the block on the source," Santiago yelled over the moans of zombies that were now filling the spawner chamber. Santiago had sacrificed himself by distracting the monsters. Now was Vialin's chance to plant the glowing block on the altar. Now was his chance to redeem himself.

A blow to Vialin's chest suddenly rocked his world. The air was completely knocked out of him as he fell back into the dark spawner chamber. Gasping for air and clutching the hole in his armor, Vialin struggled to see what was going on. Absolute anguish drowned his spirit as he saw what the source of the blow was; the demon that set his house on fire was standing at the entrance of the altar chamber.

"You have finally come, brother. We will finish this fight once and for all," The demon said in a deep roar. The crimson armor gleamed with malice and the silver sword he drew shone like an executioner's blade. It was clear that he intended to kill.

"You will not have your way with this world! It is too much power for you to wield, Santiago yelled in response striking down the last of the zombies. Creepers started coming out of the tunnel behind him and rushed towards Vialin with their twisted expressions. The demon swung his sword in the air in front of him, sending out a ripple of light.

Having the room illuminated by the ripple, Vialin could see the damage in the room. Zombie and spider corpses, as well as bones, littered the room like a macabre carpet. Most of the bodies were blown apart but a few around Santiago had slash marks. Sometime in the fight, Santiago lost his goggles to reveal disturbing white eyes, completely devoid of any color or pupils. The ripple of light ripped through the creepers , tearing them asunder.

Santiago charged forward before the creepers even fit the ground, empowered by outlandish force and releasing an unholy cry. The demon blocked the gold sword with his silver sword, releasing an unearthly ring that resonated throughout the chamber. Vialin could only stare at the bizarre sight of what he could make out to be two gods fighting before him.

"Place the block," Santiago screamed as he grappled with the demon and flung both of them down into the depths of the spawn chamber. The moans of zombies and clinking of skeletons could be heard in the dark and Vialin knew they would show no mercy. Struggling to his feet, Vialin clawed his way up the stone staircase he had made. Now was the only chance he would get to place the block.

He needed to place the brilliant stone on the dismal altar. A cry of anguish rang out from the spawn chamber, but Vialin pressed on. The hiss of a creeper made him freeze for a moment when the alter was almost within reach. A TNT block hidden in the ground exploded, blowing him backwards and causing him to impact a column. Now bleeding profusely, Vialin was having trouble even staying conscious.

A body was thrown from the spawn chamber onto the altar. It was Santiago! Worse yet, it was Santiago with a golden sword driven through his chest, buried up to the hilt. The demon appeared through the hole in the chamber with a company of the undead. The cube that had been entrusted into Vialin's care was picked up by the crimson demon who immediately crushed it into a fine powder with his fiery gauntlet. As the white powder fell to the floor, so did Vialin's hopes.

Santiago got up despite being impaled by his own weapon. The unnatural white of his eyes chilled Vialin to the bone. Clearly labored but not broken, Santiago pulled the sword from his chest with the most anguished look. He charged the demon once more with his grisly weapon and blood lust in his eyes. In one swift motion, the demon knocked the golden weapon away like a leaf in the wind. He immediately subdued Santiago and pinned him to the ground with a sliver sword through the back.

"You come back for one last desperate attempt to rid me from my world, yet you have grown weak," the demon said in a low growl. Santiago writhed under in pain as he tried to detach himself from the sword holding him in place. He clawed and fought like an animal cornered rather than a dying man.

"You cannot handle so much power! You have already created the most destructive material in the world when I was there to reign you in. I dare not imagen what horrors you will create if you go unchecked," Santiago said with desperate plea. Vialin's vision was blurring quite badly by this point. The world seemed so surreal.

With a final push of his heel, the demon's sword plunged further into Santiago, silencing the protest. A final claw at the white powder was the last movement that Vialin could see from this stranger who only brought misfortune on his life. Vialin looked up to see the imposing demon looming over him like a tower of fire.

"You helped my brother try to overthrow me. You, my child, have betrayed your father. For that, you must be punished. Your shame will completely consume you so that no none my look upon your twisted form. May you forever be cursed to look for the block that would be you creator's undoing," said the demon. Vialin could not understand. The world was slow and cold.

As the world grew dimmer, Vialin looked into the demon's eyes one last time. Neither malice nor anger filled those dark pools. The only thing that he could see was sadness. An endless sadness for something precious lost. Vialin closed his eyes one last time and fell into the cold abyss.


End file.
